


Lemongrass

by Anonymous



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-12 00:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9046589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Perhaps, maybe, possibly, things are not always as bleak as it seems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For LauraRoseMalfoy of Drarry Hell

The first time he noticed it, he was sitting alone by the lake, listening to the swishing and of water within the lake. Returning to Hogwarts for the eighth year wasn’t exactly one of the top choices of action path Malfoy intended to take after the war. His post-war plans leaned towards the side staying out of the public, rebuilding the manor and spending his time strategizing a way to redeem the family name within the comforts of his own room rather than facing the outside world. Then again, it’s not that he really had a choice anyways, the terms handed to him after his trials was either finish his NEWTs and secure a legitimate job 1 year after his graduation or serve 1 year in Azkaban followed by 2 years in rehabilitation camp, whatever that meant.

Perhaps post-war life wasn’t too bad, Draco knew for a fact that the only reason that he and his mom were given such lenient terms was because Wizengamot didn’t want to risk a public uproar by going against the wizarding community’s Golden Boy. Somewhere in between the hectic mess of trying to calm the wizarding world and straightening misconceptions created in the midst the chaos that came along with the war, Potter somehow managed to twist the Malfoy family deep-rooted urge to protect family into something noble, and by noble meaning going against the Dark Lord in order to help the Light Side. Honestly, not intentionally stating that he recognise Potter back when the Snatchers got him was more of a “try to inch onto the good side of Potter just in case” more than a “I don’t really believe in the Dark Lord’s ideology anymore, so I’m saving your arse” thing. Or was it? Really? Urgh...

And that was how on one fine evening, Harry Potter found him sitting on his own by the lake early in the morning, curled up as a ball, lost in his own head. “Merlin’s beard, you’re freezing, Malfoy,” blurted out Harry as his tapped Draco’s shoulder for his attention. It would seem that while lost in his sea of thoughts, Draco didn’t seem to have realised that the warming charm he cast on himself before the break of dawn gradually faded away already. His arms were cold and if he were to check, his lips would probably be starting to turn blue. Obviously, sitting in the open without a proper cloak wasn’t one of his brightest idea yet. Before he could even make a retort to Potter’s statement, Harry slipped off his hoodie and placed it around Draco shoulder. “Honestly, I didn’t peg you for a person who survived this long in a war only to die of pneumonia. Besides, you should probably come in soon, breakfast is starting already,” Harry continued, totally oblivious to the fact that Draco didn’t even respond to any of his statements. He tried to pull Draco up to his feet but Draco shook his head and stayed firmly planted on the ground. Harry sighed, “if you insist on this, then I can’t force you.” When Draco gave no sign of responding, he took it as his queue to leave.

Draco was lonely. He missed Pansy who skipped the continent alongside her family for a so called therapeutic family vacation. He missed Blaise with his ridiculous pick-up lines and smart comebacks. He missed Nott with his intellectual insights. He even missed Vincent and Gregory with their ever present looming company. He swallowed back the lump that was threatening to form in his throat. Taking a deep breath and counting back from 50, he watched the crests formed by the water as his changed his emotions back where they belong. He liked it out it the open, it smelled like freedom and of nature, as he pulled the fabric around him closer still, soaking up any of the comfort the inanimate object could offer, he noticed that a whiff of something sweet and something mildly prickly and citrus was mixed into his senses.   



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it isn't that bad?

There’s a saying that goes something time like this, “the best thing about hitting rock bottom, is that the only path after that is up.” Ironically, that somehow described Draco’s life pretty well. To him, rock bottom was when the Dark Lord was at the top, after that, as bad as things were, he knew that he survived worse. It wasn’t easy, swallowing his pride and apologizing to the people that suffered from his actions, admitting that he made a mistake and that people suffered from it. Some forgave him but could never forget, he could see it in the way they looked at him when he approached the empty seat near them be it in a class or in the library, the guarded apprehension held within the depths of their eyes as if waiting for the moment for Draco to turn into the beast that he was.   
So it came as a surprise the first time Potter approached him at the lake, it came as more of a surprise when Potter didn’t complain that he was placed under the wings of the death-eater for the potion remediation program. In fact, all Potter said to Professor Slughorn was a crisps “yes, sir,” before the turning to Draco to offer a handshake with a polite “I hope it won’t be much too much of a trouble to you, Malfoy,” while Malfoy smile and nodded his head on autopilot.   
The remedial classes were offered to seventh and eighth year students who wished to obtain extra help with regards to a given subject. This little project was no doubt established due to the rather obvious declination in academic results of the students who were involved in the war. After all, it was rather difficult to remember which way you should be swishing your wand and whether the “o” or the “u” should be more pronounced during an incantation when your mind was worrying if your family back home was still alive. The could either voluntarily sign up for a class or they would be “recommended” by a professor. Each student would then be placed under the guidance of so-called Mentors, each mentor taking no more than 4 students under their guidance. In most cases, the Mentors were handpicked by the subject’s professor themselves, only 2 mentors per subject. So when Slughorn approached Draco to offer him the position, Draco took it up immediately. After all, Draco wasn’t a fool that would give up a chance that might possibly assist him in rebuilding the family name.   
Every Monday, Draco placed aside 2 hours to meet with his Mentees” in the library for a theoretical explanation and revision with regards to the potions that they were studying this week. This mainly covered all the basics about potioneering and some easy tips that Draco picked up on along the year be it by himself or taught to him by Snape. This would be followed by practical brewing on the next day that was a one-on-one session between Draco and the mentees separately. 

Miraculously, none of his sessions with Potter and Thalton ended in hexes or shouting. In fact, they were mostly polite and civil to one another. It may be missing the warmth that the other Mentors have with their Mentees but it was more that Draco could ask for. Derrick Thalton is the name of the 7th year Hufflepuff that was under Draco’s guidance for potions.   
The badgers may not be widely known as the bravest among the four houses, but Thalton took timid to a whole new level. Unless asked a direct question, Thalton never spoke out loud in any of the remedial sessions. Hence, it was up to Draco to constantly prod and question if he understood what was going on. Thank Merlin that Draco didn’t have such a problem with Potter. It wasn’t because Potter spoke much during his sessions, but years of observing left Draco with a good ability to gauge Potter’s understanding and frustrations based on his body language and facial expression alone. Potter often scrunched up his nose and frown lines will be formed with he could not understand certain topics, this often led to Draco having to paraphrase parts of the material in question. When he was focused, he tends to bit on his lower lip and zone out from the world around him. More than once, Draco caught himself staring at those lips, bright red from being bitten, and had to pull his gaze away from being caught.   
It wasn’t until winter that Draco finally had somewhat of a breakthrough with Thalton. As per usual, they were seated in one of the far corners of the library, away from prying eyes. An effort that for some reason the Golden Boy seem to have shown appreciation for during the first session they had. Draco was seated opposite of Potter whereas Thalton was seated as far away from Draco as he could but within hearing range.   
This day, they were going through the recipes learned in their sixth year to determine the purpose of each and every one of the brewing step. Halfway through the session, Potter had already lost his concentration, what was originally chicken-scrawl that passed the border line of readable was not a whole bunch of scribbles on a wasted parchment. Draco doubt that anybody including the writer himself could decipher what was written there, with the exception of Granger of course.   
Whatever disliking and prejudice that Draco held regarding the bushy-haired prefect previously was gone, replaced by a sense of respect towards her. When he first returned to Hogwarts for the year, Draco’s first move was to apologize to those that he directly hurt during and before the war. She could have done what most of them had done, ignore his apology, but instead she accepted his with a smile and said that she was looking forward to seeing the actions that proved his words. More than once, he heard her and Potter standing up to those who judged his fellow Slytherins calling them dark, untrustworthy cowards. Potter’s action he labelled of as his hero-complex, but Granger…  
“Gahh,” – Draco’s thoughts were interrupted – “I’m never going to get these recipes properly memorized,” groused Thalton. It was the first time he ever spoke outload in the presence of Draco voluntarily. For some reason, that momentarily stunned Draco before he could formulate a proper response.   
“I mean, what’s the difference between a slow clockwise stir and a fast counter-clockwise stir anyways? I’m pretty sure it’s just something Potion Masters made up to be a pain in my arse,” he continued, oblivious to the Draco’s stare or to Potter’s grin of agreement.   
The momentary pause between the sentences was all Draco needed to snap out of his “2 points to Hufflepuff for finally breaking up your shell and asking a legitimate question in remedial,” Draco responded.   
This time, it was Potter’s turn to stare, his mouth opening to form what could resemble an almost perfect “O” shape. Thalton on the other hand, was turning a rather bright shade of red, opening and closing his mouth as if trying to formulate his response but unable to produce any words.   
Ignoring the response of the 2 boys, he continued, “I assure you, Thalton, that the speed and direction of stirring was not set in order to, as you so eloquently phrased it, ‘be a pain in your arse.’ There is a perfectly legitimate reason to each and every detail involved in the meticulous art of potion making, from the type of cauldron you select, to the time required for stasis and the direction to which you stir. Did you not learn this prior to your first year?”   
In between his words, the boys seemed to have redeemed their composure. “You do realise that you just awarded points to Hufflepuff, right, Malfoy?” questioned Potter.   
“You are not going to be awarded any points for stating the obvious, Potter. I have used up all energy to judge the Puffs based on the colour of their tie. It is obviously so last season. Besides, the question Thalton posed was perfectly reasonable and I was granted permission to award points right at the beginning of the remedials.” Here, Draco directed an apologetic smile for his past misdeeds to Thalton.   
Seeing that the both of them were lost for words, Draco repeated his question previously, “Did you not learn the purposes behind stirring direction, cauldron selection, so on and so forth?”   
Both Potter and Thalton shook their heads. “Muggle-born and muggle-raised, Malfoy, remember?” stated Potter.   
That lack of foundation explains a lot, thought Draco. The rest of the session was then dedicated explanations behind the fundamentals of potion brewing.


End file.
